


Not Quite All Moonlight and Roses

by thornnfang



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Established Relationship, KHUX - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thornnfang/pseuds/thornnfang
Summary: Lauriam can't understand why Brain, of all people, is siding against him. He should know best of all Ven's wrongdoings. Why does he still defend him?
Relationships: Brain/Lauriam (Kingdom Hearts), Lauriam & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 14





	Not Quite All Moonlight and Roses

**Author's Note:**

> i just was thinking, 'hey this next update is gonna hurt me, so i'm going to hurt me more first before squeenix can.' plus i love blauriam, and really everything khux related, so here we are, at this no-good-times fic :,)

They had made him leave the room while they spoke. Like a child, put in time out. Lauriam could just barely hear the sounds of the other union leaders talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

It didn’t matter. Because whatever it was, it wasn’t anything to the effect of interrogating Ventus.

No, everyone seemed perfectly fine keeping a _murderer_ amongst them, but Lauriam had to step out. Because _he_ was the dangerous one. What a laugh. Lauriam was protecting everyone, and _Ventus was a murderer_. Why did everyone seem to gloss over that fact so easily?

He could understand Ephemer and Skuld stopping him, being nervous for their friend. They were always willing to hear out each side of an argument, and Skuld was always acting sort of motherly towards Ventus. Ephemer was just too nice for his own good.

But Brain? That hurt. It hurt a lot, Lauriam found as he thought about it more. Why would Brain _do this?_

Lauriam had always trusted Brain. During sleepless nights, more often than not he would go to confide in Brain. He shared his problems, anxieties, and nightmares, and in turn Brain would give him reassurance and stability. And then Lauriam would do the same for him. It was no surprise to either of them when their friendship turned into something more.

The point being, Brain knew Lauriam better than anyone else. He knew how Lauriam felt, knew that all he wanted was to find Strelitzia, no matter what, and anyway wasn’t it his job to support his boyfriend? Isn’t that what partners are supposed to do? Lean on each other when things were hard, support one another?

But it was the opposite. Brain was siding with Ventus, with a murderer. Lauriam just couldn’t understand. Brain had said that it was the darkness, but darkness or no, it was still Ventus at the core, wasn’t it? So there was really no question in Lauriam’s mind.

He didn’t care if Ventus had been like a little brother to him. He didn’t care if it was just a ploy to separate them. He didn’t care if everyone kept saying it wasn’t really Ventus, that it was darkness.

Ventus had murdered Strelitzia.

“Hey.” The sound of a door softly opening and closing shocked Lauriam, and he jumped a little. He looked up and he tensed slightly.

“Brain,” Lauriam said curtly, not breaking eye contact. Brain sighed and sat down next to him, leaning against the wall.

“I wanted to check on you, see how you’re doing.” Brain looked down at his shoes.

“I’m not a child, I don’t need you to check on me,” Lauriam sneered.

“I know. But I was worried about you,” Brain said. He reached his hand out for Lauriam’s, but Lauriam pulled away.

“Yeah, and that’s why you’ve spent over thirty minutes in the room comforting Ventus.” Lauriam couldn’t contain the rage at just saying his name even if he wanted to.

“I have _not_ been—” Brain broke off, sighing. After a moment, he started again. “Lauriam, listen. I know you’re upset, which is reasonable, I think, but you have to hear me out.” Brain stared him dead in the eyes. “Ven didn’t do this. He wasn’t in control, he didn’t even know what happened until this week, and he couldn’t stop crying once he found out.”

“I don’t care!” Lauriam suddenly shot back. “He’s harboring darkness! Just his presence could bring about another Keyblade War! And I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

Brain tensed slightly and looked away. Lauriam could feel that Brain wouldn’t be swayed, at least not by actually making his case. The words left his mouth before he could think to stop them.

“You know, when I met you, I trusted you, almost immediately. You seemed so put together, so sure in making the right decisions. I thought, Ava sure did something right, making him a Union leader.” Lauriam laughed bitterly, his fingernails digging into his arms. “But you’re not! You’re just like everyone else, confused and scared and trying to do something right, when you don’t even know what the right thing is.”

“And you do?” Brain whispered softly. He sounded hurt, and in any other circumstance he would have reached out to him, held him. But he couldn’t.

“No, not everything,” Lauriam held a hand to his heart. “But with my heart as my guiding key, I know that in this one instance, _I’m right._ Ventus is a traitor and doesn’t deserve to be a Union leader.” Lauriam turned to really look at Brain. If he didn’t know better, he would say he looked completely unfazed. “And neither do _you_.”

Brain stood up after a moment. “I’m going back in.”

_To check on Ventus._

“Why don’t you go ahead and date _him_ , seeing as you’re so inclined to take his side over mine?” Lauriam knew that was stupid. He knew all his petty derisions and attempts to hurt Brain were stupid, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“There is a difference between stopping you when you’re being foolish and near-sighted and arguing because I believe I’m in the right. Learn the difference.” And with that, Brain was gone. Lauriam winced at the cold tone Brain’s voice had taken.

Lauriam hung his head in his hands, finally feeling tears spring from his eyes and down his face. Why was this so hard? Lauriam could admit he wasn’t the best at social interaction, but was he really this bad, that he even made Brain, a usually very understanding person, so upset with him?

Apparently so, because Lauriam knew Brain, and what Brain had done was his equivalent of crying. And Brain was a pretty thick-skinned guy.

Lauriam almost wishes he could take it all back. Could call Brain back out and apologize, then rest his head on Brain’s shoulder. His whole body was still sore from his fight, so maybe he’d close his eyes and pretend it was all just a bad dream.

But it wasn’t. And if he wanted to make up with Brain, he knew he would have to forgive Ventus, and he just… couldn’t do that.

_Strelitzia… I wish you were here. You’d find a way to cheer me up. You always do, just by being around. But… you’re not. And I can’t bring you back. I don’t know what to do without you._

Lauriam sobbed into his hands until his eyes dried, and then just added that to the list of things he just couldn’t seem to do.


End file.
